Apple faces £2bn lawsuit over implementation of App Tracking Transparency framework
Apple is facing a £2 billion collective legal claim from thousands of UK app developers over its implementation of the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. Filed by ATT Collective Action Limited and led by Ann Pope, former senior director of antitrust at the Competition and Markets Authority, the lawsuit alleges Apple imposed unfairly strict requirements on third-party developers while exempting its own services.
Introduced in iOS 14.5 in 2021, ATT requires users to explicitly authorize apps to track data across other applications. While framed as a privacy protection, the framework has been accused of creating a competitive imbalance. The claim asserts that Apple imposed stricter consent requirements on third-party apps than on its own advertising services, without consulting affected developers beforehand.
The impact on developers has been substantial, particularly for games that rely on paid advertising for user acquisition. Titles like Angry Birds, which depend on ad-driven revenue models, have been especially affected by the policy shift. Meanwhile, Apple’s own advertising business has expanded dramatically—growing from $1.5 billion in 2020 to approximately $7.4 billion by 2025—suggesting the framework may have advantaged Apple’s business while disadvantaging competitors.
The lawsuit centers on claims that Apple treated iOS developers unfairly by implementing privacy protections asymmetrically. Developers argue that while they faced new barriers to accessing user tracking data for advertising purposes, Apple’s first-party services were not subject to equivalent restrictions, creating an uneven playing field. The case raises broader questions about how privacy regulations interact with fair competition principles.